1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of surgical instruments and more particularly to a surgical instrument for use in suction lipolysis.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A number of different surgical appliances are known for applying vacuum to the area being treated for withdrawing bodily fluids during surgery or for other purposes.
Bridgman U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,089 discloses a vacuum curet for use with uterine aspirator apparatus. The curet has a cannula barrel with a suction port at one end, and a handle at the other. The equipment is designed to permit introduction of fluid during operative procedures.
Jenkins U.S. Pat. No. 1,987,907 discloses a combination surgical air-blast and suction tip. The device has twin tubes which are separately controlled and can apply either vacuum or an air-blast to a given area.
McLeod U.S. Pat. No. 2,449,497 discloses an improved aspirator for use in dentistry.
Tofflemire U.S. Pat. No. 2,812,765 discloses a combination aspirator and fluid delivering surgical instrument.
Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,573 discloses the surgical apparatus for applying either compressed air or vacuum to a given area for removing contaminating materials during surgery.
Noonan U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,426 discloses a combination aspirator and irrigation instrument.
Turner U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,145 discloses an aspirating handpiece with controls for vacuum, air and water for use in dentistry.
Stewart U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,090 discloses a combination surgical instrument for applying vacuum and for delivering fluid to a work area.
Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,221 discloses a tool for dental and surgical use which is constructed for irrigation or suction.
Recently, a surgical technique has been developed for removal of fatty deposits, sometimes known as cellulite, from selected areas of the body. This procedure, which is known as suction lipolysis, consists of making a surgical incision and inserting a tubular surgical instrument under the skin into the area from which fat is to be removed and applying vacuum to suck out fatty material. Surgical instruments for this purpose were developed in France and have had very little use in the United States. The surgical instrument presently used is a tubular member which has a closed end and a side opening. This instrument is inserted under the skin and suction applied at the end of the tube to draw fatty material through the tube. A difficulty has developed in the use of the surgical instrument which was originally developed for the surgical procedure. This difficulty is that the instrument is subject to plugging with bodily material being removed and there is no way to clear the plugging without removing the instrument from the body.
The various surgical and dental instruments described above have some features in common with the tools used in surgical lipolysis but are not constructed in a form permitting use for such a surgical procedure. There is nothing in any of these surgical tools which suggest any solution to the problem encountered where the tool becomes plugged with bodily materials during use.